


Two Rays, No Clue

by PixieCatFish



Category: due South
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-18
Updated: 2011-12-18
Packaged: 2017-10-27 12:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/296025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixieCatFish/pseuds/PixieCatFish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Nizah.  The first request was for Kowalski/Vecchio: "First time; Ray V. having some hard "whatever of your choice" going on him; happy ending."  I hope I fulfilled the assignment well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Rays, No Clue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nizah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nizah/gifts).



Ray Kowalski glanced over at his partner nervously. Vecchio had been in a bad mood- or one of several different bad moods- for a few weeks now. He tried to hide hide it- unless he was in his cranky bad mood, which he was only too happy to share with the world- but Kowalski could tell something was bothering him. The thing that really bugged Kowalski was that he couldn't figure out what that something was.

He had tried hinting at it, asking indirectly, and coaxing it out of Vecchio, but he was rejected each time.

They were on their way to the station house now, to finish up some year-end paperwork before the Christmas holidays, but Vecchio did not look like a man who was joyfully anticipating a vacation. His hands were clenched tightly on the steering wheel, his mouth was set in a grim line, and he was glaring at the traffic.

Kowalski looked over at vecchio again and decided that the time for subtlety had passed. "What the hell is bugging you, Vecchio?"

Ray glanced over at him and gave him the same glare that Vecchio had been giving the cars that were committing the major offense of being on the street at the same time as him. "Everyone in Chicago is driving like an idiot today, and I have to deal with it. How come this never happens on the days you drive?"

"It's not just the traffic. Something's been bugging you for a while now. What is it?"

Vecchio glanced over at him, then quickly looked back at the road, and his hands tightened around the steering wheel even more. "It's nothing, Kowalski. I'll deal with it, don't worry about it."

"Come on, Vecchio, I'm your partner. You can tell me anything. And do," Kowalski added as he remembered a few times that Vecchio had over-shared.

"I'm not going to tell you, okay! Just let it drop." Vecchio drew a long breath, then blew it out impatiently. "Look, let's just go finish this paperwork so we can start our time off."

He pulled into the precinct parking lot and parked the car, then jumped out and headed for the building without even glancing behind him to see if Kowalski was with him.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Ray followed his partner into the building.

As they approached their desks, the Rays could see Fraser there waiting for them, biding his time by organizing the file cabinets again.

"How ya doing, Benny," Vecchio asked, in a much more friendly tone of voice than he had used with Ray.

"I'm doing well, Ray. How are you," Benny asked.

"Great. Just great," Ray said sarcastically, and Benny raised an eyebrow.

"I need a cup of coffee," Kowalski said to Fraser. "You ready to take a break?"

"Certainly," Fraser replied.

The two men went into the break room and got a cup of coffee, then sat down at a table opposite each other.

"Fraser," Ray asked, "do you know what's going on with Vecchio?"

"Going on," Fraser asked blandly.

"Don't give me that act, Fraser," Kowalski snapped. "You're his best friend, and a damn good detective. You've obviously noticed that something's been going on with him for a few weeks now. I want you to tell me what it is."

Fraser blew into his coffee, then took a long drink before looking back at Ray. "I have noticed," he admitted, nodding slowly. "But he hasn't confided in me what's bothering him any more than he has with you."

"But you know," Ray said.

Fraser took another long drink of his coffee. "I think I know," he said slowly.

"Well, what?"

Fraser's eyes dropped from Ray as he took a sudden, very deep interest in the coffee cup he held between his hands. "I don't know for sure, Ray. But as you said, I am Ray's friend, and I've known him for a number of years now."

He took a deep breath, and gave Kowalski a long, searching look, as if unsure if he should continue or not. Finally he sighed and continued. "I've seen Ray this way once or twice before, and this is the way he acts when he's in love."

Kowalski collapsed against the back of his chair, dumbfounded. Of all the things he had considered that could be bugging Vecchio, this one hadn't even made the list. He also felt a very strong twinge of jealously and sadness, but he fought those down viciously. "But being in love should make you happy," he said.

Fraser nodded. "Indeed. If the one you love loves you back."

"She doesn't love him?" Ray felt himself becoming angry at this unknown woman. What the hell was her problem?

"I don't know if the person returns Ray's affections," Fraser said slowly.

"Well, who is she?" Ray demanded.

Fraser stared down at his coffee cup again for a long time, watching his hands twirl it around and around on the table. "As I've said, Ray hasn't confided in me," he finally said, without meeting Kowalski's eyes.

"But you know."

"I suspect, but I don't know."

"Who is it? Do I know her?"

"Ray, it's not my place to tell," Fraser said, almost pleading.

"Come on, he's my partner. I want to help him, if I know who it is, maybe I could find a way to do that."

Fraser stared at him for a long minute, and Ray found his heart turn over and start thudding heavily against his ribs at what he could see in Fraser's eyes. For a moment it looked like Fraser was gauging him, trying to measure what his reaction to the information might be, then a kind of sympathy and hope took over.

Ray's mouth dropped open and he tried to speak, but he couldn't find any words. Fraser blushed and looked away again, and that sealed the deal. "Me? He's in love with me?"

"Again, I don't know," Fraser started.

"Bullshit!"

Fraser looked directly at Ray again, then he nodded. "Yes, Ray. It is my belief and my feeling that Ray Vecchio is in love with you."

Ray slumped in his chair and ran his hands over his face, not at all sure how he was supposed to react to this situation, or even how he was supposed to feel about it. His stupid heart was beating in his chest again, but this time it was with hope and joy and relief. "So what-" he started to say, and was interrupted by Vecchio's appearance at the door.

"Kowalski, I know this is a lot to ask, seeing as we're supposed to be doing paperwork, but could you maybe get your ass to your desk and do some paperwork? I'd like to get out of this shit hole before midnight if possible."

Without waiting for an answer he spun on his heel and took off for his desk.

He looked back at Fraser to see the other man grinning at him wryly. "I'm the luckiest man alive," he said, and got up and headed for the door.

"Good luck," Fraser called after him.

"I hate you," Ray said without looking back, and he could hear Fraser's soft laugh behind him.

**************************************************

All that afternoon Kowalski spent half his concentration on the paperwork before him and half on watching Vecchio as surrepticiously as he could. Could Fraser actually be right? Could Vecchio be in love with him?

Every time he thought about it, his heart started doing that little dance in his chest, and a happy, stupid smile wanted to spread across his face. So there was his answer on how to feel about the situaion, at least.

So what the hell was he supposed to do now? Ignore the situation and wait for Vecchio to make a move? Start dropping subtle hints and hope that Vecchio would act on them? Make a play for Vecchio? Actually, that last one could be kind of fun. Ray grinned at the thought.

"What the hell are you so happy about," Vecchio snapped, and Ray started. He hadn't even noticed Vecchio approaching his desk.

"My paper work is done," he replied easily.

"Great. Mine too. Let's get the hell out of here."

***************************************************

The ride to Kowalski's apartment was silent, with a weird kind of tension between the men. As Vecchio pulled the Riv to the curb in front of Kowalski's building, Kowalski made a sudden decision. "Why don't you come up for a cup of coffee," he asked.

"Why?"

"Because I'm your god damn partner and I asked you to," Ray snapped, fed up with Vecchio's bitchy moodiness. Then he cursed himself. Yeah, that would get Vecchio up to his apartment and in a receptive mood.

But to his surprise, Vecchio was grinning at him, looking truly happy for the first time in days. "Well all right, then," he said, and cut the engine and got out of the car.

"Great, a psycho with mood swings. What a great catch," Kowalski muttered under his breath as he followed Ray into the building.

Inside his apartment, Ray got the coffee brewing and opened a box of cookies for him and Vecchio to share.

The silence stretched on and on between them, and finally Kowalski cleared his throat nervously. "Look Vecchio, I think I may know what's been bothering you, and..." He took a deep breath, then blurted out "would you like to go out on a date with me?" Well hell, no one had ever said subtlety or taking things slow were his style.

Vecchio jumped in his chair. "What the hell is that, some kind of sick joke," he snapped.

But Kowalski had seen the hope and desire in Ray's eyes before the anger took over, and that gave him the confidence to continue. "No. It's a sincere offer. I want to go on a date with you."

Vecchio stared at him for a long time, searching his face carefully for any hint of sarcasm or deception. "You want to go on a date with me," he finally asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I-" then his courage abandoned him a little. "Because that's what you do when you think you might... love someone," he finished, his voice barely above a whisper.

Vecchio started again slightly, but this time the anger was gone from his eyes, with only the hope and the happiness shining through. "Love," he said softly.

"Yeah." Kowalski felt scared and brave and hopeful and fearful all at the same time, and if Vecchio didn't kiss him soon...

Then Vecchio did kiss him, crossing the kitchen in about 2 seconds flat, and all thought fled Kowalski's mind.

The kiss was hesitant and questioning, with Vecchio's tongue teasing at his lips and tongue, and damn if it wasn't the best first kiss Ray had ever had.

They pulled apart, both breathless and grinning at each other like the fools they probably were.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," Vecchio said.

"I know," Kowalski answered, then reached up and ran his hand over Ray's head, because that was something that he'd been wanting to do for months now, and it felt even better than he had imagined it would.

Vecchio shivered slightly and smiled at him. "So you figured out that you've been driving me crazy, and that's what's been bugging me forever?"

Kowalski nodded.

"How'd you finally figure it out?"

"I talked with Fraser today, and he clued me in."

Vecchios's eyes went very wide with surprise. "Fraser? BENNY Fraser?"

Kowalski laughed. "Yeah, who knew?"

Ray ran his fingers lightly over Kowalski's cheek, then ran the back of his hand down Kowalski's jaw line. "Wow. Just think, last year all Benny got me for Christmas was a scarf."

Kowalski laughed. "Yeah, well, I'm the gift that keeps on giving."

"You'd better be," Vecchio said, and though he tried to keep it light and teasing, Ray could see the truth in his eyes. There was hope and desire and fear, and it made Ray's heart do that slow thudding thing again.

Vecchio wanted him to stay? For a long time? That blew him away. He had never had that kind of an affect on someone, never had that kind of power over another person. It was flattering as all hell, but it scared him, too.

"Yeah. I tend to stick around when I'm in love, and I'm in this for the long haul. You'd damn well better be too." And now Kowalksi was feeling completely gutted and vulnerable.

But Vecchio's face was lighting up with the most beautiful smile Ray had ever seen, and that was saying a lot, because Vecchio had a beautiful smile.

The smile grew into a teasing grin, and Vecchio wrapped his arms around Kowalski's waist. "Hell yeah I'm in this for the long haul. A man with terrible taste in cars, no dress sense and hair that makes me glad I'm bald? What's not to love?"

"You don't even know the half of it, Vecchio."

"Well, I can't wait to find out."

"Then I say we get started right now." He took Vecchios hand into his and started towards the bedroom, then stopped and looked back. Maybe Vecchio wasn't okay with this, maybe he wasn't ready for this step yet.

Vecchio saw the doubt on Kowalski's face and he smiled at him, squeezing his hand even tighter. "What did you stop for, Stanley," he whispered.

And that is the moment when Ray Kowalski knew he was really, truly, seriously, in trouble. Vecchio was calling him Stanley, and not only did he not mind, he actually liked it.

He truly did have no idea what he was in for, but he was excited as hell to find out.

 

THE END

 

 


End file.
